In producing a hand-rolled cigarette with a filter, tobacco leaves, a wrapping paper and a filter are used. A popularly-used filter of the hand-rolled cigarette has the same size as the commercially available cigarette, that is, is small and short. Because of being small and short, the production of a hand-rolled cigarette with a filter using the hands requires a skill to some extent. To compensate for this insufficient skill, it is often the case where a personal tobacco wrapping device is used in the production of a hand-rolled cigarette with a filter.
The personal tobacco wrapping device is explained in conjunction with FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the personal tobacco wrapping device 40. As shown in FIG. 13, the personal tobacco wrapping device 40 includes a fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A, a movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B, a tobacco-wrapping belt (not shown in FIG. 13) and a frame 25.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the personal tobacco wrapping device 40 where the frame 25 is not shown in the drawing. As shown in FIG. 14, the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A and the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B have a columnar shape respectively, and a shaft 24A of the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A and a shaft 24B of the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B are arranged parallel to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, both ends of the shafts 24A, 24B axially project from the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A and the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B respectively, and are mounted on the frame 25 such that the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A and the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B are not disengaged from the frame 25.
The fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A is rotatable about the shaft 24A, and the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B is rotatable about the shaft 24B. Further, as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, a smoker can make the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B approach the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A by pushing the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B with his finger or the like. Here, the shaft 24B moves along elongated holes (not shown in the drawing) formed in the frame 25 and approaches the shaft 24A. As a result, the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B moves in the direction toward the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A.
Further, the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 223 can move in the opposite direction as well. In other words, the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B can make a separating movement where the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B is separated from the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A. Here, the rotational movement of the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B and the approaching and separating movement of the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B in the direction toward and away from the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A are independent from each other.
As shown in FIG. 14, the tobacco-wrapping belt 23 is arranged such that the tobacco-wrapping belt 23 wraps the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A and the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B. Further, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the tobacco-wrapping belt 23 has a length which is sufficient for pressing tobacco leaves and a filter for producing one piece of hand-rolled cigarette in a space defined between the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A and the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B. Here, the direction that the “length” is taken is perpendicular to the direction that a width “e” shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 is taken.
Next, by reference to FIG. 15 to FIG. 19, steps of producing the hand-rolled cigarette with a filter using the personal tobacco wrapping device 40 are explained. FIG. 15 to FIG. 19 are schematic cross-sectional views of the personal tobacco wrapping device 40 shown in FIG. 13 taken along a line f-f. Firstly, as shown in FIG. 15, in a state where the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A and the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B are separated from each other, a proper amount of tobacco leaves 7A and a columnar filter (not shown in the drawing) are aligned with each other on the tobacco-wrapping belt 23. Then, the tobacco leaves 7A and the filter are pressed into the space defined between two rollers 22A, 22B from above the tobacco-wrapping belt 23. After the tobacco leaves 7A and the filter are pushed into the space defined below two rollers 22A, 22B, the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B is made to approach the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A. In this manner, as shown in FIG. 16, the tobacco leaves 7A and the filter are accommodated in a space defined below two rollers 22A, 22B.
Then, by rotating two rollers 22A, 22B in the directions indicated by arrows in FIG. 16, the tobacco-wrapping belt 23 is moved along peripheries of the tobacco leaves 7A and the filter. Due to such movement of the tobacco-wrapping belt 23, the tobacco leaves 7A are formed into a columnar shape together with the filter.
Then, as shown in FIG. 17, a rectangular wrapping paper 2 is inserted into the space through a gap defined between the two rollers 22A, 22B and two rollers 22A, 22B are rotated. Here, the rotational directions of two rollers 22A, 22B are the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 16. Here, an adhesive strip is formed on one end of one surface of the wrapping paper 2. By rotating two rollers 22A, 22B, the tobacco leaves 7A formed into a columnar shape and the filter are wrapped with the wrapping paper 2 in several layers.
As shown in FIG. 18, in a state where only a portion of the wrapping paper 2 still projects from the gap between two rollers 22A, 22B, the rotation of two rollers 22A, 22B is stopped temporarily, and the adhesive strip 26 formed on a portion of the wrapping paper 2 which projects from the gap between two rollers 22A, 22B is made wet with saliva or the like. Then, two rollers 22A, 22B are further rotated thus feeding the portion of the wrapping paper 2 on which the adhesive strip 26 is formed into a space defined below two rollers 22A, 22B. Accordingly, the adhesive strip 26 is adhered to another portion of the wrapping paper 2 so that it is possible to produce a hand-rolled cigarette where the tobacco leaves 7A and the filter are wrapped with the wrapping paper 2 in several layers. Finally, as shown in FIG. 19, by separating the movable tobacco-wrapping roller 22B from the fixed tobacco-wrapping roller 22A, the produced hand-rolled cigarette is taken out from the personal tobacco wrapping device 40.
When the hand-rolled cigarette is produced by using the personal tobacco wrapping device 40, a length of the hand-rolled cigarette is determined based on the inner width “e” of the personal tobacco wrapping device 40 shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. Accordingly, a length of the filter which is used together with the tobacco leaves is also limited so that a large-sized filter cannot be used in the production of the hand-rolled cigarette.
Further, in the hand-rolled cigarette produced by using the personal tobacco wrapping device 40, the wrapping paper 2 wraps the tobacco leaves 7A and the filter several layers. Accordingly, compared with a hand-rolled cigarette where the wrapping paper wraps tobacco leaves and a filter in one layer, the consumption of the wrapping paper in smoking is large and, further, a taste of the hand-rolled cigarette which a smoker enjoys by smoking is spoiled. On the other hand, as a method for producing a hand-rolled cigarette which can suppress the consumption of a wrapping paper and allows a smoker to enjoy a taste of the hand-rolled cigarette by smoking, there has been known a reverse wrapping method.
By reference to FIG. 20, FIG. 21, FIG. 22 and FIG. 23, the reverse wrapping method is explained. Firstly, as shown in FIG. 20, wrapping of tobacco leaves 7A with a wrapping paper 2 starts from an end portion of the wrapping paper 2 on a side where an adhesive strip 26 is formed in such a manner that a surface of the wrapping paper 2 on which the adhesive strip 26 is formed faces an outer side of tobacco leaves 7A. Then, as shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, when the wrapping paper 2 wraps around the tobacco leaves (not shown in the drawing) one time and overlaps with a surface of the adhesive strip 26, the wrapping paper 2 is made wet from outside the overlapped portions thereof so that overlapped portions of the wrapping paper 2 are adhered to each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 23, an unnecessary portion of the wrapping paper 2 is cut away.
When the hand-rolled cigarette is produced by the reverse wrapping method using a personal tobacco wrapping device, the wrapping paper is inserted into the personal tobacco wrapping device in a state where the surface of the adhesive strip which faces the outside is made wet. In this case, the wrapping paper is adhered to constitutional parts of the personal tobacco wrapping device. For this reason, it is substantially impossible to produce the hand-rolled cigarette by the reverse wrapping method using the personal tobacco wrapping device.
Further, at the portion of the wrapping paper on which the adhesive strip is formed, an adhesive agent is applied to only one surface of the wrapping paper. Accordingly, a shrinkage rate of the wrapping paper due to drying of the wrapping paper differs between the surface of the wrapping paper to which the adhesive agent is applied and the surface of the wrapping paper to which the adhesive agent is not applied. For this reason, when the wrapping paper is stored for a long time, the wrapping paper curls with the adhesive strip directed inwardly. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 24, it is difficult to produce the hand-rolled cigarette by the reverse wrapping method using the wrapping paper 2 which is bent in the direction toward the adhesive strip 26 and a general filter (not shown in the drawing).
As a filter of a cigarette used in general, there have been known a fibrous filter shown in FIG. 25 which has a cylindrical shape and is also used in a commercially available cigarette, a plastic-made filter shown in FIG. 26 which is called “tip” and has a hollow and substantially frustoconical shape, and a filter shown in FIG. 27 which is called “roach” and is formed by rolling a rectangular paper 21 in a cylindrical shape. The sizes of all these filters are substantially equal to the size of the filter of the commercially available cigarette. FIG. 27 is a schematic view showing steps of producing the roach. As shown in FIG. 27, the roach rolled into a columnar shape is produced by rotating the rectangular paper 21.
The production of the hand-rolled cigarette using an aluminum-made cylindrical filter shown in FIG. 28 having a diameter “g” of 8 mm and a length “h” of 20 mm which are substantially equal to corresponding sizes of a filter of a commercially available cigarette is most excellent in terms of an advantage that the filter can be used repeatedly, an advantage that the personal tobacco wrapping device can be used for producing the hand-rolled cigarette, and an advantage that a wrapping paper is completely burnt or tobacco leaves are completely consumed. However, in the hand-rolled cigarette which uses such a filter, a substance such as tar which is generated when tobacco leaves are burnt, is harmful and spoils tobacco taste is liable to pass the filter. Accordingly, the taste of cigarette is spoiled before the tobacco leaves are not burnt to an area close to the filter. Further, a smoker's lips may feel hot while smoking due to heat conduction from smoke generated by burning of tobacco leaves.
To suppress spoiling of tobacco taste and the excessive heat conduction to the smoker' s lips during smoking, it may be possible to simply elongate the filter in such a manner that a length of the filter is set to approximately 70 mm, for example. The elongation of the filter can suppress spoiling of tobacco taste and the excessive heat conduction to the smoker's lips. However, a commercially available personal tobacco wrapping device does not have a width sufficient to allow the use of the elongated filter and hence, there may be a case where the hand-rolled cigarette cannot be produced using the personal tobacco wrapping device.
In this case, a smoker produces the hand-rolled cigarette by wrapping tobacco leaves manually with a wrapping paper without using the personal tobacco wrapping device. However, a surface of the aluminum-made filter is slippery so that the wrapping paper slips on the surface of the filter. Accordingly, it is difficult for the smoker to wrap the tobacco leaves with the wrapping paper. Further, even if the wrapping paper can be wrapped around the filter, the wrapping paper and the tobacco leaves are liable to be removed from the filter.